BABY ROYAL

by Bella Grant

  “Would you like me to print out some pictures to show your families?” Teri’s voice broke through our bubble.

  “Yes, please,” we said in unison.

  After leaving the doctor, we walked hand in hand under the sun and down the sidewalk. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and since Josh was leaving the hospital in another two weeks, his buddy, Dr. Sampson, along with a few others, were handling his afternoon patients so the transition would be easier for them as well as for Josh, who was a mere phone call away if anyone needed anything.

  Having him next to me was nice as we caught the bus to our final destination before he had to go in for the evening. He was still on call and had rounds to make, both responsibilities he couldn't let go of just yet to aid his patients through transition, whether they would be staying on him with or not.

  I was one of the patients who had made the transfer successfully to another psychiatrist in a private practice and closer to Josh’s condo. Josh had chosen the woman I would see for my first appointment in a few weeks. Until then, he overlooked my status and ensured my antidepressants weren’t affecting the baby.

  The bus reached our stop, and with a big breath and the courage Josh held in his hand for me, we stepped off.

  “You okay?” he asked, and I squeezed his hand.

  “I’m okay.”

  I peered at the ultrasound picture clutched tightly in my other hand and started the descent down the hill. Josh guided me through the maze of flowers and names that caught my eye, but I was busy looking for a particular surname. I stopped, and it felt like the world around us had stopped as well.

  Here lies beloved parents, husband and wife: Dale and Cynthia Sims.

  Josh wrapped an arm around me as I covered my mouth before the sob could even come out. I hadn’t had the guts to visit them since the day they were buried. Today I had a reason though, and that reason was next to me and clutched in my hand. I dropped to my knees, and Josh followed me to rub soothing circles into my back like he did the day I’d had a fit in his office.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Dr. Josh Sullivan,” I choked out and looked at Josh, who smiled lovingly at me. He nodded for me to continue. “We have good news.” I put the ultrasound picture on the large headstone. “We’re gonna have a baby.”

  I had never felt happier than when sharing the news, and even when the dam of tears broke, Josh’s hand stayed interlaced with mine and I knew my parents would be proud of the man I had chosen to be by my side.

  Chapter 25

  Balloons and streamers greeted me as I stepped into the break room where all the employees were waiting for me with a large cake and a number of champagne bottles popped off throughout the large room as I entered.

  ‘Congratulations, Dr. Sullivan!’ the cake read in bright blue frosting. I thanked each and every one as a plastic champagne flute was placed in my hand, overflowing with Brut champagne. A smack on the back here and a handshake there lost me a few sloshes, but most of it was down my throat before another hand refilled my cup.

  My eyes continued to scan the crowd as I made my way out into the hallway where more people leaned along the beige walls and talked amongst themselves. Pop music played over the speakers throughout the office building. I weaved through more congrats and cheers among the horde and started to wonder if I would ever find the one person I was looking for when I heard her laugh. I followed the light, bubbly sound and stopped in my tracks when I did see her. I watched her in awe. She hadn’t noticed me yet as she roamed about the main waiting room. She held everyone’s attention with her smile, and I felt a pang of jealousy when she hadn’t spotted me as she danced around.

  It wasn’t her fault she was the most beautiful and sought out human being in my entire practice, and I had to remind myself one day, I would have to give her up to another. That wouldn’t happen for a long, long time.

  “Callie, look who’s here!” I heard the other familiar voice of my personal life, but my attention was all on her. Callie. My daughter. I squatted down before she turned around and watched as her whole face lit up.

  “Daddy! Daddy!” She waddled away from her mother and into my arms, and her soft, curly pigtails rubbed against my jawline. She had light brown curls like her mother and blue eyes like her daddy.

  “Callie girl, what are you doing here?” I asked, going an octave higher to talk to her as I stood and heaved her up with me. Her pudgy arms wrapped around my neck as she planted a wet kiss on my cheek.

  “Mama say we ʼbrate you today.” Her voice was infectious, cute and small like her.

  “Oh, she did, did she? Did she tell you why?” I walked over to the other love of my life who was to thank for Callie’s good nature and heart of gold.

  “Mama say it’s cuz you did good for a whole year, Daddy!” she exclaimed as if I was silly for not understanding why we were “ʼbrating” me today.

  “One year, Callie girl. I did good for one whole year,” I corrected her, but my smile was directed at her mother, my light, my everything, Fiona. She stood in front of me in a little black number that showed off her long legs I loved so much and a plunging neckline, revealing her collarbone. She noticed my wandering eye and folded her arms.

  “Did Daddy tell you why he did so good?” Fiona asked in what I called her “mommy” voice and it rivaled my “daddy” one. “It’s because Daddy made his dreams come true, and in one year, all these wonderful things happened, starting with you being born and ending with a bunch of people coming to see Daddy and all his helpers. You see, Daddy fixes people, and that’s why we are celebrating him today,” she explained and held her arms out to gather Callie into them. I smiled as Callie snuggled into her mother’s wavy hair. Her attention had moved on to the sparkle of Fiona’s dangling earrings.

  “Congratulations, baby, on your one year anniversary.”

  I pulled them both into an embrace and kissed Fiona on the lips and Callie on her chubby cheek. “You know I couldn’t have done it without you,” I replied.

  “Nor could I have done this without you.” She motioned to our daughter who was observing the fish in the nearby fish tank in the waiting room.

  I was about to tell her she would never have to be alone when my receptionist tugged my sleeve and told me some reporters were waiting outside for a public statement from me.

  “Shall we?” I held my arm out for Fiona like I had years ago. She took it willingly, and as a family, we walked outside to address the crowded masses in the front of the building. For the second time in my life, I would be nominated and announced Doctor of the Year, not because of my show of seeing as many patients as I could in a short amount of time. I had been nominated this time for not only my dedication to mental health but also to my community. I was the first psychiatrist locally to go off on his own and start his first private practice for the sake of a non-profit. Usually, it was done as a team, but the one teammate I needed was beside me, holding my beautiful daughter and smiling for the flashing cameras.

  One reporter asked how I could so easily empathize with those who were in critical situations I had never been in myself. Was it ever difficult to treat the ones I could not connect with?

  “I always strive to connect with my patients, and if I’m not the right fit for them, I recommend them to a colleague,” I answered.

  Another reporter in the back piped up. “What about your reputation as one of the best? Doesn’t that limit your success when you fail to help a more intensive case?”

  I glanced at Fiona, who smirked sideways at me. My eyes on her, I made the next statement. “No, because I found someone I can come home to at the end of the day and reminds me I gave it my best shot. We all can’t all be winners, but we can damn sure try until we find the right victories.”

  I winked at Fiona and she winked back before she placed a kiss on Callie’s crown and bounced her up and down to keep her happy. I knew she would make the perfect doctor’s wife, and as the cameras continued to flash, I made the mental note to pick up a bottle
of champagne for home.

  “I swear that little girl thinks she’s going to miss out on something if she even thinks about closing her eyes.” Fiona padded into our bedroom and yawned into one hand, the other pulling out the temporary ponytail from atop her head. The black cocktail dress and earrings were long gone, replaced with a white nightie that reached her mid thighs and flowed about her as she moved through the room.

  She picked up the toys strewn about the bedroom when I stopped her. “Fiona, it’s been a long day. Leave those for the morning and I’ll pick them up before work.”

  She dropped a stuffed animal in mid-air without even a rebuttal and crawled into our king-size bed. She settled into the crook of my arm, and her hand rubbed my bare chest. “You were great today, Josh. I don’t think it could have gone any smoother. Though I’m sure you gave Vickie a heart attack by announcing her as assistant office manager in front of everyone,” she commented.

  I held her closer. “Well, I figured it was worth the embarrassment. I’ve been waiting to give her the title since she quit the hospital to come work for me and now that we have the funds, well, I wanted to make it a big deal. She has always been so good to me,” I explained and traced circles on her elbow. “But the day’s not over.”

  “Are you asking for a quickie not-so-subtly?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

  I laughed. “That doesn't sound like a bad way to end this night, but it’s not exactly what I had in mind.” I patted her bottom to let me sit up. I leaned over and opened the dresser drawer next to me to retrieve a small black box. I heard the gasp behind me before I turned around to reveal a gold band with a single large diamond.

  “I know it’s not the dream proposal of getting down on bended knee and having a choir singing behind me in the middle of Golden Gate Park, but we never did anything the conventional way and I wanted to do this my way. So…” I took the ring out of the box and reached for her hand. She held it out, and I slipped the band onto her slender ring finger. “Fiona Sims, you have given me so much. Hope. A daughter. A family. And a dream come true. Now, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Her eyes caught mine, and I saw the tears in the corner of hers as she nodded her head rapidly. “Of course, of course I will. Nothing would make me happier, Josh.”

  She threw her arms around me, and our lips met in a flurry of quick kisses and smiles. I held her in my arms, and the happiness bubbling up inside of me felt too good to be true. I had worked hard to keep my career successful and was rewarded with the perfect girl in my arms who had given me a family to come home to. We might have had some bumps along the road and some still to come, but Fiona was my everything.

  Even Fiona had come a long way in two years. With the joy of Callie running around our house in a fit of giggles and curiosity, the black cloud of depression no longer hung over her. She was too busy being a mom, a non-profit organizer, and a loving girlfriend to allow the depression to seep in. Though she still saw Dr. Anderson on a monthly basis, the meds were long gone, along with many of her self-doubts. She still cried over her parents from time to time, but with love and patience, we held on to each other during those dark times. They might not be there, but they were always with us and surrounded our family with love. What was once a lonely, empty condo was now filled with our chats and Callie’s giggles.

  “You know what would make this night better?” she asked, and I hugged her into my chest.

  “The ring wasn’t enough for you?” I teased.

  She peered at me with the determination I loved so much, and I knew what was coming.

  “Me beating you in Smash Brothers,” she declared. With a peck on my lips, she hopped off the bed to retrieve the controllers.

  I turned on the TV and grabbed a controller from her as she scooted next to me, her eyes glued to the screen, the gleam of the ring shining upon her hand.

  “Bring it, cutie.”

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